Quaker groups

The groups below show some of the many interests and concerns that Quakers pursue as part of their wider commitment to their faith.* Most groups meet up and organise activities - it's a great way to meet Quakers and make new contacts. Activities are usually open to non-Quakers. Do please contact a group if you are interested to know more about it.

Groups

China Interest Group provides the opportunity to share information and experiences of China among Quakers and others. They also consider small grants to those in association with Quakers who are involved in education in China and with Chinese people.

Experiment with Light Network works with the Quakers in Britain to facilitate the acceptance of Experiment with Light as a core Quaker spiritual practice. They support, co-ordinate and develop the teaching and practice of Experiment with Light within Britain Yearly Meeting and beyond.

Founded in 1903, the Friends Historical Society aims to promote the study of Quaker history and to further the religious beliefs of the Religious Society of Friends. Holds meetings, publishes research findings and publishes the Journal of the Friends Historical Society.

Supports the work of Friends House Moscow, a charity for Quaker work and outreach in Russia. Runs a website: www.friendshousemoscow.org. Welcomes all Friends interested in Russia. Friends House Moscow supports Quakers and seekers locally, translates and publishes Quaker books in Russian, maintains a Russian-language website for outreach, and works with local partners on projects in line with Quaker testimonies (for example, Alternatives to Violence Project work with civilians, soldiers and prisoners, supporting conscientious objectors and helping children in need).

Every year, Friends Southern Summer Events (FSSE) organises two residential Quaker events in August: Junior Gathering (formerly Summer School, ages 11-14) and Friends Southern Senior Conference (15-18). These events advocate the Quaker testimonies and are significant in the lives of those who attend, building confidence, knowledge and supportive friendships which can last a lifetime.

A charitable trust telling the history and current activities of the peace movement through the provision of educational facilities and creation of a Museum for Peace. The Trust is the Quaker contact for 'The Peace Museum' charitable company.

Quakers working for sustainability. Living Witness supports Friends in developing our sustainability witness. Our range of resources include our regular newsletter earthQuaker, policy briefings and guides for study groups and for personal and collective action. We hold regular national gatherings and summer schools. We offer advice, talks and facilitated events for Quaker meetings. Please get in touch to discuss your needs.

The aim of the Nontheist Friends Network is to provide a forum and supportive framework for Friends who regard religion as a human creation. We seek to explore theological and spiritual diversity and their practical implications in respectful acceptance of different views, experiences and journeys. Membership is open to all who sympathise with these aims and who pay the annual membership fee. To join, please contact our Membership Secretary. We share a radical questioning approach to contemporary religion. Our newsletter is sent by email or by post to members, and by email to other people who wish to receive it. We hold an annual weekend residential conference at Woodbrooke in the spring and aim to hold other regional and local events. Our website contains articles and notices about current issues and forthcoming events. It also contains information on further reading that may be helpful for people who wish to understand our approach more fully. We produce occasional papers by members on issues that they wish to share with a wider audience. We have contacts with Friends in the United States, Australia and some European countries. We also have contacts with networks with whom our approach is compatible, both in denominational and inter-denominational networks.

QAAD works within Quaker principles to address the widespread use and misuse of all substances, legal, illegal and prescribed – and gambling. We offer advice and information to individual Friends and to elders and overseers. QAAD fosters links between Friends who share our concern through our biennial Woodbrooke conference and meetings of the group QAADNET. QAAD publishes the quarterly magazine QAADRANT, and we are always glad to provide speakers for meetings on request. We also work responsively with young Friends to develop sessions for any kind of gathering. Externally, QAAD contributes to government reviews and liaises with other faith groups to advance policies that reduce harm.

to work to change the way refugees and asylum-seekers (whether recognised under the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees or not) are treated, to ensure that justice and compassion are the guiding principles

to support each other as Friends acting under concern

to keep Friends in our meetings up to date with developments

to work to convince British Quakers that a principled critique of current asylum policy should be part of our corporate Quaker witness, in keeping with our testimony to equality

to guide Britain Yearly Meeting, now that Meeting for Sufferings has accepted that asylum is a concern, to help them to work effectively for justice and compassion in our asylum and immigration system.

The concern was adopted at Yearly Meeting in 1975 and by Friends World Committee for Consultation the following year. Since 2001 Bristol, North Wales and Wirral & Chester area meetings have been authorised to carry forward the concern on behalf of Britain Yearly Meeting.

An active group aiming to add a Quakerly voice to the animal advocacy movement. We also support with donations many animal welfare organisations both here and abroad. We work with Friends overseas and very much value our ecumenical and interfaith links.

The fellowship aims to provide a forum for discussion on issues such as survival of consciousness and continuing spiritual development beyond physical death, personal spiritual communication, higher worlds, near-death experiences, etc.

Quaker Peace Studies Trust works towards a truly peaceful world in accordance with our Quaker peace testimony, through support of the study of peace and conflict resolution at the University of Bradford.

The Quaker Service Memorial Trust maintains the memorial within the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas in Staffordshire that commemorates the wartime service of members of the Friends Ambulance Unit and Friends Relief Service. They also educate the public about the work of Friends, particularly (but not exclusively) about conflict resolution, reconciliation and peacebuilding in the aftermath of war.

We are a network, mainly of Quakers, with personal or professional links to people or projects in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan and neighbouring states. We are also interested in working with and learning from people from these countries who now reside in the UK. We meet annually in London, Leeds or Birmingham and have a newsletter at least once a year. If you would like to join the group please contact Stuart Morton.

Exhibition facilities include 77 tapestry panels, personal audio guides and films, interactive displays, children's activities, events, workshops, gift shop, Café, garden, toilets and step-free access to the Exhibition and Café. Opening hours: the Exhibition at Kendal is open from mid-February to mid-December, Monday to Saturday, 10am–5pm. The Meeting House Café is open all year, Monday to Saturday. Both are closed on Sundays. See the website or phone for details of the Travelling Roadshow, up-to-date information and admission charges.

The Quaker Universalist Group (QUG) is a Quaker Recognised Body that is based on our understanding that spiritual awareness is accessible to everyone of any religion or none, and that no one faith can claim to have a final revelation or monopoly of truth. We acknowledge that such awareness may be expressed in many different ways. We delight in this diversity and warmly welcome both Quakers and non-Quakers to join us. Our resources and activities include a website (http://qug.org.uk/), a journal for members called Universalist, books, pamphlets (many of which are now online), an annual conference, a newsletter and communication via our website and Facebook.

The Penn Club is a Members Club with a strong Quaker ethos, located just off Russell Square in London. It is open to non-members for B&B. Its purpose is to provide premises for the enjoyment of members and guests, and to foster a spirit of fellowship in accordance with its Quaker values.

The Retreat is a not-for-profit provider of specialist mental health services. They work closely with the NHS to provide services for people with complex and challenging needs in an open, calming environment designed to enable recovery and independence.

The Retreat York Benevolent Fund provides grants to beneficiaries (Quakers, attenders or those closely associated with Quakers) who cannot afford the fees to access care at The Retreat York or other psychiatric hospitals in the UK. They also assist in the provision of hospital treatment or home nursing in the home of any Friend, wherever they are living, either for mental or physical illness. They fund projects which advance good mental health and/ or the application and understanding of effective mental health practice.

More information

In December 2015 Meeting for Sufferings agreed to replace the designation 'Listed Informal Groups' with the new structure of Quaker Recognised Bodies. This includes independent groups as well as groups linked to parts of the Britain Yearly Meeting structure.